Russian consolidation needs financing

The Russian Ministry for Regional Development has prepared a concept project for the federal purpose program for consolidation and ethnic and cultural development of peoples. About 36.6 billion rubles are planned to be spent on the program for 2013-2017, Kommersant reports.

Inter-ethnic problems became tense in 1990s when the Soviet identity was replaced with regional, ethnic and religious identities. Mass migration is still one of the negative tendencies in inter-ethnic relations. The ministry pointed out low All-Russian civil identity, complicated socio-cultural mood, extremism and growth of nationalism.

Alexander Zhuravsky, Director of the Department for Inter-Ethnic Relations of the Ministry for Regional Development, said that life in Russian regions differs. Some ethnicities have not changed their lifestyle for centuries.

The department offered three version to solve the problem. Firstly, the inertial version, worth about 12.1 billion rubles and requiring 5 years for realization. It would help cope with negative tendencies. The second version is intensive and would cost 123.84 billion rubles. The priority version will cost about 36.6 billion rubles. Projects to resolve the problem have not been specified.

The department has three goals: development of civil identity through mass media, ethnic, cultural and socio-economic development of peoples and harmonization of inter-ethnic and inter-religious relations. Tolerance should improve by 2017, protests provoked by national and religious factors should drop.

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin pointed the national issue out in one of his articles where he stressed the need to strengthen the Russian nation and introduce higher demands for labour migrants.

Yuri Kanner, President of the Russian Jewish Congress, noted that the article included all aspects of ethnic issues. Aliy Totorkulov, Chairman of the Executive Committee of the Russian People’s Congress of the Caucasus, said that the national issue is Russia’s weak point. Putin makes a justified statement calling Russians the basis of the country, he believes.

Albir Karganov, Deputy Chairman of the Central Muslim Administration, notes that migration policy should not harm citizens, but at the same time needs more responsibility from employers. Formation of a single structure for national issues is necessary and should not be split regionally. There were radical nationalistic slogans in Tatarstan in 1990s, clerics managed to settle the problem. Karganov noted the important role of Russians in the country, but warned about possible repercussions, should it be legally set.

Galina Gololyubova, President of the Slav Fund, emphasized that Putin’s article is especially topical, because the social inequality and inter-ethnic problems have been tense since 2000. A coordinating structure is needed to aid regions in their national policy. Russian President Dmitry Medvedev noted that formation of a new structure for national affairs was unnecessary. Neglecting the issue could result in disorders like at Kondopog and Manezhnaya Square, Galina Bogolyubova says. The law on national-cultural autonomies adopted in 1996 needs adjustments or banning, she believes.